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Ten convicted in attempted killing of former Red Sox slugger David Ortiz

American private investigators hired by Ortiz said that the Hall of Fame slugger affectionately known as Big Papi was targeted by a Dominican drug trafficker who was jealous of him.

David Ortiz speaks to reporters during a news conference after his orientation tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in May in Cooperstown, N.Y.
David Ortiz speaks to reporters during a news conference after his orientation tour of the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in May in Cooperstown, N.Y.Read moreHans Pennink / AP
    by Megan Janetsky, Associated Press
    Updated 
    Published 

A Dominican court convicted 10 people involved in the 2019 attempted killing of baseball Hall of Famer David Ortiz, authorities confirmed on Tuesday.

Ortiz, a Dominican native, was ambushed by a man who got off a motorcycle and shot him in the back at close range while the former Red Sox slugger was at a bar with friends in a well-off neighborhood of Santo Domingo

Two men, including the alleged shooter Rolfi Ferreyra Cruz, were each sentenced to 30 years in prison by Santo Domingo’s First Collegiate Court.

» READ MORE: Amid developments in the David Ortiz shooting, Philly Latinos talk about the implications

Eight others received prison sentences of between 5 and 20 years. Three other defendants were acquitted due to insufficient evidence, including Víctor Hugo Gómez Vásquez, who was accused of planning the attack.

American private investigators hired by Ortiz said that the slugger affectionately known as Big Papi was targeted by a Dominican drug trafficker who was jealous of him.

The findings by former Boston police commissioner Edward Davis contradicted a previous theory by law enforcement in the Dominican Republic that the hitman was actually hired to shoot Ortiz’s cousin Sixto David Fernandez, who was sitting at the same table.

Dominican authorities said the hitmen confused Fernandez with Ortiz, one of the country’s most beloved ballplayers.

» READ MORE: Li’l Papi? Bryce Harper’s fast playoff start for Phillies recalls David ‘Big Papi’ Ortiz and the 2004 Red Sox | Marcus Hayes

A fearsome power hitter with a ready smile, Ortiz led the Red Sox to three World Series championships, was a 10-time All-Star and hit 541 home runs before retiring in 2016. When he was shot, he was living part of the year in the Dominican Republic.

Ortiz was seriously wounded in the June 2019 shooting. Doctors in the Dominican Republic removed Ortiz’s gallbladder and part of his intestine after the shooting and he underwent further surgery in the U.S.

» READ MORE: David Ortiz elected to Hall of Fame; Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Curt Schilling denied in final ballot bid

Among the crimes for which the 10 men were sentenced were criminal organization, use of illegal firearms, attempted murder, and complicity, the court wrote in a statement.

Authorities noted that more details of the sentencing will be released on Feb. 8, 2023.